Two to Tango
by LornaWinters
Summary: She's just trying to survive her job as a civilian technician on DS9. He just wants to marry her. Neither of them knew what they were getting into.
1. Stress Management

**Ok, so I recently picked up these hobbies. Of course, I had to find a way to write about them. This is loosely based around the events of "Image in the Sand." A big thanks to 0afan0 for the idea! You truly are my muse!**

"Quark! I'm going to kill you!" the woman yelled as she charged down the stairs from the holosuite.

The Ferengi cringed. He knew exactly what this was all about. He had hoped she would be pleased, but clearly, he had not read her right. He had given her what he thought she needed, rather than what she said she wanted. The customers stood aside as she marched up to the bar.

"What are you trying to push on me?" she demanded hotly.

Quark smiled deviously at her. "I don't know what you're talking about, Ms. Anthane."

She didn't buy it. "You know damn well what I'm talking about!" She put her hands on her hips. One of her hands was a little too close to her sword for Quark's comfort. "I asked for _Yojimbo_, not-what the hell is this?" She looked at the data rod, "'_Vulcan Love Slave's Mate_'?"

The barkeep shrugged. "You look like the type who would go for a Vulcan."

She threw the rod in his face. "Not everyone is a jaded hedonist, Quark!"

"And clearly not everyone has a sense of humor," he retorted.

Ms. Anthane glared back at him. "Oh, I have a sense of humor." In a flash, she drew her sword and held it to his neck. "Yes, in fact, I think it would be hilarious to see your grotesque head roll across your own bar!"

"_Yojimbo_ coming right up," he chuckled nervously. With that he scurried off to get the correct program.

"And you better not charge me extra for lost time, or I'll _really_ go Greek on you!" she called after him. "Pig," she sneered quietly. As she sheathed her sword, the Romulan sitting on the barstool next to her laughed. "What's so funny?" she asked him.

"I have wanted to do something like that since I met him yesterday," he answered. "But I'm afraid _I _would end up in a holding cell if I did anything of the sort."

Before she could answer, Quark came back with the right one. She snatched it from him and went back to the holodeck. After winging it all week, trying to make normally incompatible Cardassian and Federation technologies work together, she was not in the mood for games.

The doors opened to a rural town of nineteenth century Japan. She was pleased to note that the program even included the music from the film. Walking past the various shops, she noted the people peaking cautiously from behind the doors and shutters. Above the music and blowing wind came the sound of hammering from the coffin maker.

She was about to enter the inn when she noticed a tall and sinister-looking man standing across the street. Around him, his gang of thugs and cutthroats were wrestling and gambling, and otherwise engaging in their disgusting vices. It almost reminded her of certain members of Quark's clientele. The villain reached into his tunic and pulled out a revolver as a warning. _Yeah, whatever, buddy! You're nothing without your little pea shooter!_

She turned, but stopped in the doorway again. The fight scene wasn't supposed to happen until much later. But after the week she had just had, she was sick of talking. She whipped out her katana. The innkeeper, who was about to offer her tea, dropped the dishes and hastily ran out of the room. She leaped out into the street.

"Let's cut the crap, boys!" she yelled to the goons. Immediately, they rushed toward her. The music picked up, and the hacking began.

**(I don't own Akira Kurosawa's ****_Yojimbo_****.)**


	2. Be Careful What You Wish For

"Kira to Anthane."

Elpida slapped her comm badge. "Go ahead, Colonel," she responded with a grunt. Her body was contorted in an extremely awkward position, as she was in the middle of repairing a damaged circuit board in a maintenance crawlway. What idiot designed this setup anyway? It was a good thing she was so flexible, but she couldn't imagine how some of the more heavy-set technicians got around in places like this.

"Elpida, I need you to get over to Senator Cretak's office and repair her monitor."

"The same one?" she groaned.

"I'm afraid so," Kira answered.

She sighed. "I'm on my way, Colonel." Kira knew she was already in the middle of long-overdue repairs, so she would not have interrupted her unless it was important. Must be politics involved. Let's all schmooze with our new allies to keep them happy.

Starfleet was experiencing a man power shortage, and so began importing civilians to the more strategic outposts and stations. Deep Space Nine was no exception. Elpida Anthane was a technology repair technician, and her skills were in high demand. As a result, she was putting in a lot of hours, always playing catch-up, trying to shorten a list that never stopped growing.

On top of the workload, she was rapidly discovering that there were more politics in the military than there were in a civilian environment. Elpida _hated_ politics. They were a complete waste of time that always got in the way of getting the job done right. She was grateful to Kira for keeping her out of them.

She held her breath when she sighted the door of the Romulan senator's office. Kira had assured her that Cretak was a nice lady. But Elpida had never seen a Romulan before she came to DS9. Until a couple of months ago, they were a mysterious enemy. What's more, they had the reputation of being quite arrogant. Her father had always told her to "beware of Romulans bearing gifts." Considering how staunchly Greek he was, it was ironic that he misquoted such a pivotal line of classical literature.

_Oh, well, might as well get it over with. _She hit the door chime and entered.

"Ah," the Romulan woman sitting at the desk greeted her warmly, "you must be Ms. Anthane. Colonel Kira informed me you would be coming."

"Senator." Elpida politely smiled back and went over to the monitor. "Hmmm," she said as she examined it, "exactly as I thought." Without another word, she crawled under the desk to access the control panel.

"If you will excuse me, Ms. Anthane," said Cretak, "I have a meeting. My aide will assist you if you need anything."

"Thank you, Senator," she replied from the floor.

"His name is Setal," she told her on the way out. The other Romulans followed her. As there was no one left in the room, Elpida guessed this Setal, whoever he was, would be returning shortly. It didn't matter because she didn't require assistance anyway.

The door opened when she was nearly finished. The footsteps stopped, probably when whoever it was saw legs extending from underneath the desk. _Guess ol' Setal wasn't told I was here_, she thought to herself. "Hello?" she called.

"Hello," a Romulan man looked under the desk. He looked oddly familiar, but she couldn't see how. She didn't know any Romulans.

"You must be Setal?" she asked.

"Yes," he responded with a puzzled expression.

"I'm Elpida Anthane," she explained. "Senator Cretak told me you would be here."

"I see," he said.

Elpida slid out and got up. "Well, that should do it," she said, dusting off her hands. "If it gives you any more problems, call me and I'll take care of it." She tactfully left out the part about that particular monitor being an infamous pain in the butt.

"Thank you," he smiled. "I'll tell Cretak when she returns. Good day to you, Ms. Anthane."

* * *

It was after 1900 hours, and Elpida was tinkering around inside yet another control panel. This time she was in Constable Odo's office.

"Nerys," she heard Odo say sweetly when the doors opened. Elpida thought they were such a cute couple. _Must be nice to have some romance in your life…_

"I came to check on Elpida," she told him with a tender smile.

"I'm almost finished, Colonel," said Elpida.

"You've been working a lot of hours lately," she said, "Why don't you take a break and come with us to dinner. You'll get out and meet people. I know you're not into Klingon food, but we're going to the Spanish restaurant this time."

"That sounds nice, but I've got a lot to catch up on."

Kira smiled slyly. "I could make that an order," she warned.

"Yes, ma'am," said Elpida. She didn't have to be told twice. "Let me go shower and change. Is eight-er, 2000 hours ok?"

"That's fine. We'll see you there."

* * *

By the time she had freshened up and gotten dressed, Elpida found that what she really wanted was to go to bed. She had been burning the candle at both ends, and now that she had stopped, it was catching up to her. But she had already promised Kira. Examining herself in the mirror, she noticed she was getting pale. Not surprising, since she had been in space for several weeks. Her black dress made her look a bit anemic, but there was no time to change. And besides, she always wore black. It was a Greek thing.

It was a little past 2000 hours when she entered the Spanish restaurant. Immediately, she loved it. There was candlelight, romantic music, and couples dancing the salsa—oh dancing! She had not gone dancing in months! Kira waved to her from a table off in the corner.

"Sorry I'm late," she said as she sat down in the chair they were saving for her.

"Don't worry about it," Dr. Bashir assured her.

"Let's eat," O'Brien insisted. "I'm starving."

"So this is what you eat where you're from?" Kira asked while they waited for the waiter.

"Actually, I'm from the other side of Mediterranean," she specified. "But the food is similar, yes." Unlike her father, she wasn't going to bore a Bajoran with the intricate differences of Mediterranean cultures.

A Bolian waiter introduced himself as "Ujye," and took their orders. "He's the owner," Bashir whispered as he made his way back to the kitchen. "But he likes to wait on his customers himself. Wait until he brings the food out. You're going to love it."

"I already love it," said Elpida. She was beginning to unwind. The sangria helped. But she made a note to be careful. As high-strung as she had been lately, the alcohol was likely to have a more powerful effect on her than under normal circumstances.

Dinner was exceptional. Elpida had no idea that a Bolian would be capable of such exquisite culinary talents. But then again, she didn't know any Bolians. After dinner, she found that she needed to go to the powder room. She excused herself, and left the table. Leeta, who she had learned that evening was the wife of Quark's brother, went with her.

"Ok, so I have to ask," said Leeta as she powdered her nose, "what's your secret?" It was a strange question coming from a dabo girl. "I mean, you obviously work out. What do you do?"

"I do kendo," she said. "It's a sword fighting sport, based on the martial arts of ancient Earth."

Leeta gasped. "You must be an empowered woman, then."

_Being a dabo girl for Quark must be a humiliating job_, Elpida thought. "Well," she said, "that was why I took it up. I didn't want to be afraid anymore."

"I want to feel empowered, too. Will you teach me?" Leeta pleaded. She was a nice girl, even if she was a little on the dumb side.

"It would be my pleasure," she answered, not fully certain what she was getting herself into. She had to admit, though, that she had no friends. It would be better than practicing alone.

On her way back to the table, she nearly collided into Cretak's aide. "Excuse me," she apologized. She really should not have had so much sangria earlier.

"No need to apologize," he said kindly. "Ms. Anthane, isn't it?"

"Yes," she smiled back, but she couldn't remember his name to save her life. Most likely, it was the sangria, she decided. Under sober conditions, she prided herself on her excellent memory.

The musicians began to play a new song, and all around them, people were pairing up to dance. The Romulan smiled. "A tango," he observed. He seemed to consider his next question carefully. "Would you," he said slowly, "give me the privilege of a dance? I'll gladly teach you if you don't know it."

"I know it," she said boldly, before she thought. But it was too late to back out. She gave him her hand, and he led her to the dance floor. He held her close and guided her skillfully around the room. Now that she gave her full attention to him, she realized that he was actually a rather handsome man. Hell, he was a hunk, now that she took the time to look at him. She couldn't understand why she didn't notice before.

_Slow, slow, quick, quick, slow_. She could feel his muscles tensing and relaxing underneath his sleeve. There was no doubt in her mind that he was a physically powerful man. And there was something inexplicably sexy about a Romulan who knew Latin dances. "You're a very good dancer," she told him.

"Thank you," he replied. "As are you."

"So I have to ask, where does a Romulan learn to tango?"

He met her eyes intently. "Would you believe me if I said Havana?"

Elpida blinked incredulously. "Havana? What were you doing in Havana?"

"I'm not at liberty to divulge that information," he informed her, "though I am certain you are clever enough to guess." A _spy_? He was a spy? "I serve my government in whatever way it asks," he supplied. "Currently, I'm required to be Senator Cretak's attaché, so that is what I am."

"You're a skilled dancer as well," he said, changing the subject. "Indeed, I'm astonished that none of the other men have asked you yet tonight."

"Is that the Romulan version of a pickup line?" she asked suspiciously.

He laughed. "A 'pickup line'? I've never heard that expression before, but I think I understand what it means." Something flickered in his dark eyes, but she was not certain what it meant. "No," he said after a moment, "nothing so base as that."

"What are your intentions then?" she asked bluntly.

He smiled again, as though he did not expect her to be so candid. "I intend to romance you," he said.

"You mean seduce me," she accused.

The Romulan raised an eyebrow. "Not tonight," he admitted, "I wouldn't succeed."

Elpida turned her head away, and considered whether or not she should continue to dance with him.

"Please don't be cross," he said apologetically. "I was being honest with you. You wouldn't trust me if I lied to you. I assure you my intentions are honorable."

"Oh?" she queried in disbelief. "Just what exactly are your 'honorable' intentions, then?"

Again, he seemed unprepared for her unambiguous line of questioning. "I," he said gingerly, "want to marry you."

"_What_?!" Now Elpida stopped dancing. "You don't even know me! Are you drunk?"

"I know enough to see that you are the most dazzling woman I've ever encountered," he said passionately. "I will happily learn everything else there is to know about you. And no, I'm not intoxicated."

Elpida was flabberghasted. No man had ever been so frank with her. In truth, she didn't know how to react. He was so charming, but she knew better than to fall into that trap. The worst part was that she still couldn't remember his name. "Since when is a Romulan interested in a human?"

"Since three days ago, when I met you in Quark's," he answered, resuming the dance.

She followed his lead, though she knew she should have walked away right then and there. But for some enigmatic reason, she felt drawn to him, and she didn't want to leave. "Unlike most of my people," he said, "I'm not presumptuous."

"Could've fooled me," she mumbled.

"I won't make the mistake of assuming you feel the same way yet," he told her, ignoring her comment. "My time on Earth showed me that human females require…" he searched for the right word, "romance…before they will commit to anything."

Elpida felt her mouth fall open. She had never been so shocked in her life. No one had ever proposed to her before. Never had she dreamed that it would be like this. Either he was the most lovesick man she had ever met, or the most demented.

"I've said too much, I think," he said when the music stopped. "So for the time being, I will bid you goodnight, Ms. Anthane. Thank you for the honor of a most enjoyable dance." He kissed her hand. "Please don't think badly of me," he added. As if he knew she had no answer, he turned and walked away.


	3. A Little Competition

The next morning, Chief O'Brien and Rom greeted Elpida with anticipating grins. They looked like they had been eagerly awaiting her arrival. As she was a few minutes late, she had hoped no one would notice when she came in. No such luck.

"What's going on?" she asked, still a little groggy. She had not yet had her coffee.

"It's so romantic," Rom said wistfully. "I'm going to do that for Leeta."

O'Brien explained. "Someone sent you flowers." Did she hear that right? He gestured toward his desk. As she didn't have her own office, the sender had them brought to O'Brien's. There they were, a dozen red and pink roses. And they were for _her_. No one had ever given her flowers before, much less had them sent to her workplace.

"So do we get to find out who your secret admirer is?" Rom asked hopefully.

Elpida giggled nervously. "Um…maybe?" She was afraid to look at the card, as she already had her suspicions who he was. She felt her stomach tense as she opened the card. Inside was the message:

_Miss Anthane,_

_Please accept these flowers as an apology for my presumptuous boldness last night, and know that I have the utmost respect for you._

_Your admirer,_

_Setal_

"Oh my gosh," she gasped. It _was_ him. Setal. _That_ was his name. There was no way she was going to forget it now. She went over to the replicator to get her daily mocha latte, though by this point, she didn't need it to wake up. At the same time, it was all like a dream, and she couldn't decide if it was a good or a bad dream.

"Well?" said O'Brien. Elpida jumped. She had forgotten that he and Rom were still there, on pins and needles to discover the identity of the mysterious sender.

"Well," she repeated apprehensively, "I'll think about it…and get back to you." She shoved the card in her pocket and headed off to her first call.

"I think they're from that Romulan she was dancing with last night," Rom said to O'Brien. Rom obviously wasn't as dumb as he looked. Elpida stopped, but then kept walking.

All throughout the day, the events of the previous night would not cease from playing out in her mind. The tango music just wouldn't stop. Elpida tried to throw herself into her work, but it seemed as though everything reminded her of that magical evening. She was twisted around in a maintenance shaft yet again. The repaired control panel lit up. _Slow, slow, quick quick, slow_, it flashed.

Never had she met any other man like Setal. He was definitely a looker. She recalled his deep voice and titillating dark eyes. The way he held her in his strong arms as he led her around the dance floor. He was such a savvy dancer. It had to have been the truth that he learned to dance in Havana.

Elipida groaned. She couldn't believe this. Here she was, attracted to a Romulan. Her family would _love_ that. She had been told since she was twelve that she was an old maid who needed to get married as soon as possible. But they intended her to marry a human man, a Greek man.

But what was this? Just because she was attracted to him and he said he wanted to marry her, didn't mean that she wanted to marry him. Was he really serious anyway? He couldn't be. They had only met three times before. It was merely another of his attempts at a pick-up line, she decided.

And yet…what was it about him? He was nothing like anything she had been told about Romulans. He did maintain an air of self-confidence, yes. But it was tempered with a realistic awareness of those around him. Maybe he learned that while he was on Earth.

That was the other thing. He was a former secret agent, who had spied on her government. He _still_ could be a secret agent. The Romulans were allies, but only reluctant allies of convenience. As soon as the war was over, it was said, they would attack at the first chance they got. They were just biding their time until then.

It was easy to be convinced of the stealthy and hostile intentions of a faceless adversary. It was difficult to believe that about Setal, however. He seemed so open and genuine. And he had sent her flowers. _Beware of Romulans bearing gifts…_ She hit her head against the bulkhead. She was so confused.

The next thing she knew, she was in the infirmary. Doctor Bashir was having trouble with his organic substance analyzer.

"I'm so glad you're here, Elpida," he said with relief. "I can't function without this piece of equipment."

"I'll get it back up for you in no time," she responded automatically.

"You know," he looked over her shoulder, "You never danced with me last night like you promised." His brown eyes peered flirtatiously at her. He was kind of cute, in a boyish sort of a way. And then she was suddenly annoyed with herself when the thought came along that he wasn't nearly as attractive as Setal.

"Sorry," she said, "Too much excitement for one night. I'll dance with you next time. Promise."

"I'll hold you to it," he smiled charmingly.

Before too terribly long, the analyzer was repaired. She was about to leave for the next assignment on her list.

"Thanks so much," Bashir told her. "I owe you one."

Elpida grinned at him. "Be careful, Doctor, or I might take you up on that," she winked.

That evening, she went to Quark's to keep her promise to Leeta. She had to practice anyway. To her relief, Setal was not there. She wasn't ready to talk to him yet.

"So do I have to wear anything special?" Leeta asked. She had on loose-fitting clothes.

"No, what you have on is fine," Elpida told her with a smile. "Let's go."

Leeta carefully imitated the movements that she showed her. "How long do I have to do this?" she asked after a while.

"Until it's perfect," she answered, slowly swinging her sword up and down in a straight line. "I'm still trying to perfect my strikes, and I've been at it for four years. It's important because this is the one all of the other attacks are built upon."

"So it's muscle-memory then?" said Leeta.

"That's right," she encouraged her. "I'll teach you a different hit next time."

"Thank you, Elpida," she said after they finished. "It means more to me than you know."

Elpida smiled. It was nice to be appreciated. She felt guilty for thinking that Leeta was a simpleton the night before. "You're welcome."

The pillow welcomed her as she collapsed onto it. She had thought that day would never end. _I know enough to see that you are the most dazzling woman I've ever encountered_… That was the last thing she remembered before she fell asleep.

* * *

The entire week went by, and Elpida managed to avoid encountering Setal. She had seen him three or four times on the Promenade, but with all the people around, it was easy to make sure that he didn't see her.

After that unbelievably stressful week, the weekend finally arrived. This time, Kira and the gang wanted to go to Quark's. Elpida was apprehensive. What if he was there? She had no other alternative, however, as Kira threatened to pull rank on her again. Elpida knew Kira thought she was trying to do her a favor by forcing her to go out and enjoy herself. Maybe she was.

When they arrived, Elpida quickly scanned the room. Once again, Setal was not there.

"Who are you looking for?" inquired Bashir.

"Oh, no one," she said, trying to sound casual. "It's just that there are so many kinds of people. It's still all very new to me. I mean, I had never even left Earth before I came here." It was the truth, even if it wasn't the real reason she was looking around.

"Just a small town Greek girl, eh?" Bashir smiled his usual, boyish grin.

Elpida returned his friendly expression. "You could say that."

After two rounds of drinks, Kira, Odo, and O'Brien went to try their hand at dabo. Elpida wasn't much of a gambler, but she was interested in watching the others play. Bashir followed her example, and hovered at her side. While the other three played the game, he explained to her the way it all worked.

She watched him carefully. He had insisted on buying her drinks, and it was a chivalrous gesture. But she knew there was a motive behind it. He was testing the waters. Elpida thought he was cute, in a juvenile sort of way. She was even considering going for him. However, she wanted to get to know him a little better first.

And then there was that tiny matter about a certain Romulan who was never out of her thoughts for very long. What was it about him anyway? He wasn't a human. Why was she so attracted to him? Why couldn't she stop thinking about him?

As if on cue, she looked up just in time to see him come through the door. He stopped in mid-stride when he saw her. He nodded in acknowledgement, but when he saw that she was with others, he left it at that and went to the bar.

Elpida found herself thinking about how magnetizing he was. She caught herself staring at him. Then she noticed that he was eyeing her as well. He really was a charming guy. So what if he was a Romulan? He was downright hot!

Bashir was still babbling on about mathematical probabilities and statistics, and how Quark was infamous for cheating his customers. He was a pretty smart man, even if he was a bit of a showoff. O'Brien said as much to him, and the next thing she knew, they were into a debate. They appeared to have forgotten all about her, so she stood back a foot or two and let them go at it.

"You've been avoiding me, Miss Anthane," said an alluring masculine voice from behind her. As she suspected, she turned to see he was Setal. It was an awkward moment, and she didn't know what to say. "I know I surprised you. Of course you needed your space for a while." He swirled his drink around. "I tried to stay away," he smiled flirtatiously, "but I can't anymore."

"Thank you for the flowers," she said, barely remembering her manners in time.

"Then you accept my apology?" he asked, looking up from his drink hopefully.

"Of course," she replied firmly, as much to herself as to him.

"I'm so very glad to hear that," he said, stepping closer to her, "I was worried for a while there that you wouldn't."

"What are you drinking?" she asked, trying to change to a less awkward topic. The liquid in his glass was not the azure colored drink she was becoming accustomed to seeing Romulans consume all the time.

"It's called stout, from Earth actually. Have you ever tried it?"

"I'm not much of a beer drinker," she answered. "I prefer wine. But in all honesty, I haven't tried very many kinds of beer. Maybe I should." She smiled, "It's just surprising to see you with it."

Setal chuckled. "Yes, I know, it's very unpatriotic of me. But I was curious. I like to try new things. As I said before, I'm not a typical Romulan in that regard."

"That's why you learned to dance?"

He smiled again. "Yes, that's it exactly. And hopefully we will dance again sometime."

"I'd like that," she admitted, slightly bashful. He had such a dashing smile.

"Like what?" Bashir whirled around suddenly. Without giving her the chance to answer, he addressed Setal. "I don't believe I've had the pleasure. Dr. Julian Bashir, chief medical officer for DS9," he introduced himself.

"Setal," he shook his hand. "I'm Senator Cretak's attaché."

"Nice to meet you," the doctor rattled off quickly, "Please excuse us, Mr. Setal, as we're in the middle of a game." He gestured for Elpida to come back to the dabo table.

The Romulan did not appear threatened in the least by Bashir. In fact, he smiled slyly at Elpida. "I'll see you again, Miss Anthane." It was a statement, not a request. He nodded his head and went back to the bar.

"Don't mind him," Bashir told her apologetically, "Romulans are like that. You'll get used to their arrogance if you stay around long enough."

Elpida wanted to laugh. _This guy thinks Romulans are arrogant?_

"You _are_ going to stay here on DS9 for a while, aren't you?" he asked, blinking his eyes like a puppy dog.

She shook her head and chuckled. "Well, I don't exactly have anywhere else to go at the moment."


	4. ¿Ahora quién?

The following weekend, the gang voted to go to the Klingon restaurant. Although she had nothing personal against Klingons, there was no way in hell Elpida was going to eat their live worms. She would rather starve. Kira could throw her in the brig for all she cared—it wasn't going to happen.

Her stomach rumbled. She was nearly finished, she reminded herself. Only two more screws, and then she could go back to her quarters, eat, shower, and crash. Elpida was repairing the lights in a section of the habitat ring. In the process, dirt and circuit fluid had gotten onto her clothes. It wouldn't have been so noticeable, except that she was wearing black.

The prospect of having to go all the way to the other side of the station with nasty goop all over her wasn't at all appealing. But that was where her quarters were. _Don't I look glamorous for a Saturday night?_ she thought sarcastically.

Sarcasm changed to embarrassment when she saw Setal walking down the corridor toward her. _Great! Just Great!_ The guy she had been secretly crushing on for two weeks was now going to see her with that funky crap all over her.

"Miss Anthane," he greeted her, apparently relieved. "You are a difficult person to find."

"Even for you?" she asked, "I thought you were a spy."

Setal held a finger to his lips. "Former spy," he corrected defensively, "And you're not supposed to know about that."

"Oh, that's right," she remembered. "What can I do for you, then, Mr. Bond?" she said with a wink. "One of your gadgets needs to be repaired?" It was such fun to tease him, because he always had a cute reaction, especially when he didn't fully understand her references.

He responded with a sly smile. He was beginning to catch on to her wisecracks about secret agents. It was not surprising, considering she had been dropping them all week. "What I have to say is for your ears only," he said.

Elpida lifted an inquiring brow, and tried to play it cool.

"I noticed your friends were at the Klingon restaurant as I passed, but you are not with them?"

"Huge chunks of raw meat and gushing blood doesn't sound very appetizing to me," she said with a shudder. Just the thought of it made her stomach turn.

Setal chuckled in agreement. "Would you be opposed to having dinner with me, then?"

Now her stomach knotted up. They had had brief conversations in passing all week, during which Setal had avoided the matter of his being attracted to her entirely. So much so, that she wondered if he still was. Apparently so.

"Alright," she felt herself say softly.

Noticeable relief and satisfaction passed over his face. He had been worried that she would refuse, she comprehended. "The Spanish restaurant?" he suggested. "I mention there because I know we both like it, and," he smiled with delectation, "there is dancing there tonight. Salsa, I believe."

"It's not fair…" she exhaled.

"What?" he asked quickly.

"You know my weaknesses," she answered, "but I don't know yours."

Setal clenched his fists slightly. It seemed like he was as nervous as she was. "I thought that was obvious by now," he said, gazing earnestly at her. After a long and awkward silence, he spoke again. "Shall we meet there at 20:00 hours, then?"

"I'll be there," she told him.

He smiled again, his former confidence returning. "See you there, Miss Anthane." He turned to go.

_Oh, no!_ Elpida thought, _What am I going to wear? _A quick gander at the chronometer told her that it was just after 18:00. Not enough time to go shopping. In fact, she had better get back to her quarters soon to get dressed.

A search through the mostly coal-colored garments in her closet led her to a simple burgundy dress. It looked better on her than what she normally wore, but she thought it still made her look like a vampire or something. There was simply_ no_ way she was going to live in space the rest of her life. In the meantime, she made a mental note to schedule an appointment at the tanning bed the following morning. She quickly put on her matching choker and pinned her curly, inky hair out of her face.

Setal was anxiously waiting for her at the front of the establishment. His lips parted when he saw her. "Miss Anthane, you look…you're not wearing black."

"You disapprove?" she asked, sorely disappointed.

"No," he gulped. "Your attire is quite becoming. It's just that I haven't seen you wear any other color before." Quickly recovering, he said, "Once again, you have succeeded in surprising me."

When they got to their table, he chivalrously held her chair for her, and sat in his own. Ujye appeared and took their orders, then disappeared back into the kitchen.

"So…" Setal said, folding his hands, "You're Greek. You practice kendo. And what else? Tell me about your family."

Elpida shifted uncomfortably in her chair. Anytime the subject of her family came up it made her want to panic. Hands down, she had the _weirdest_ family on Earth, possibly in the whole galaxy. But only the people who knew them could grasp the extent of it. They still clung to the old belief that the Greek people were the most superior of all humans, to say nothing of non-humans. Why couldn't they just move on along with the rest of humanity? It wasn't like First Contact had only occurred the week before!

"Well…I have a large family," she began, "five brothers and two sisters."

Setal smiled. "I myself am the youngest of five children, and," he rolled his eyes, "the only male."

Elpida laughed and drained her glass of sangria. "My aunt's family is like that, so I can well imagine."

Their tapas arrived, and Ujye theatrically gave them an elaborate description of what they were about to eat, kissing his fingers every so often. He refilled their glasses and was off.

"That's my favorite part," Setal whispered as the waiter walked away.

"I think that's everyone's favorite part," she said. "He never tires of talking about his food." She found she was drinking more than she had originally planned, but she was uneasy. It was their first date, after all.

Once they were finished eating, Setal wasted no time in asking her to dance. They swayed around the room to the hot salsa rhythm. Elpida still wasn't sure about him, but she couldn't deny that she was having a marvelous time. And he definitely treated her like a lady.

The band seemed to fill the room with energy and excitement. She noted that the lead singer somewhat resembled a shrimp, but his voice was phenomenal.

_Ahora quién si no soy yo  
Me miro y lloro en el espejo y me siento estúpido  
Ilógico, y luego te imagino toda regalando el olor de tu piel  
Tus besos, tu sonrisa eterna y hasta el alma en un beso  
En un beso va el alma  
Y en mi alma está el beso que pudo ser _

By now the sangria had completely gone to her head. In spite of this, Setal's next question took her by surprise again nevertheless.

"When I told you that I intend to marry you," he said, gazing longingly into her eyes, "you know I was serious, yes?"

"Um…" she muttered.

"I realize you are not certain about me yet," he said patiently, "but you at least _like_ me, don't you?"

'Yes," she answered slowly. "But how can you say that? You really don't know me, Setal."

"But I want to get to know you, Elpida," he pleaded. "I'm…in love with you."

"Why?" she breathed. Her heart was racing.

"Because, you're different," he explained. "Not just from me, but from other humans, too. I can't tell you how irresistible that is. I've never felt more alive before than I do dancing with you now."

"I don't know what to say…" she blinked.

"That's alright," he said, "I know you must be quite shocked by all of this."

"You could say that."

"I didn't mean to make you uncomfortable," he gently caressed her back. "But I had to tell you. Please tell me that I have the smallest chance."

Elpida stared back at him. She couldn't believe what she was about to say. "Yes…"

Suddenly emboldened by that one word, Setal pulled her into a passionate kiss. And to her own surprise, she found herself kissing him back, melting into his arms. "I love you," he whispered.

Before she knew what she was doing, she flung her arms around his neck. "Can we go swimming?"

"What? Swimming?" he asked, completely taken aback. "Very well. But where would we do that?"

"The holosuite of course, silly," she said with a smirk, playfully tapping his nose with her finger.

Setal smiled adoringly back at her. "I will take you anywhere you wish to go, Elpida."

* * *

Elpida dizzily opened her eyes. The lively music from the night before was still whirling around in her head. The pounding of her headache seemed to be timed to the now sickening rhythm. Where was she? What happened?

The last thing she recalled was Setal kissing her. And then they went swimming. And then…blank. Her eyes popped all the way open. _Oh, crap! No…no!_ Immediately, she sat up in the strange bed. Her clothes were laid neatly at the foot. At her side, she discovered a single rose, and a note. Her hands shook uncontrollably as she opened it.

_My dear Elpida,_

_Thank you for the most incredible night of my life. I love you._

_Setal_

Her worst fear, that she was in fact in Setal's quarters—in his bed—was undeniably confirmed. The Romulan in question was no where to be found.

"Oh, no!" Her stomach started turning, threatening to evacuate its contents. "What have I done? I wasn't ready for this! This is all wrong!" She curled up into a ball and started to cry. He had seduced her after all, just like he said he would! _That jerk! _How could she have been so stupid?

She started when the chronometer chimed. _10:14 hours?_ She was late for work! She grabbed her clothes and headed off to her room.

When she got in, Chief O'Brien wasn't there. Rom looked up with concern on his face. "Rough night?" he asked.

Elpida burst into tears. "More like a crazy-ass night!"

Rom patted her on the back. "It's okay, Elpida," he reassured her. "The Chief doesn't know you were late. I told him you were off early fixing the lights in the habitat ring."

"But I did that yesterday."

"I know," he grinned. "But you didn't report it yet."

He was right. In her haste to get ready for her fiasco date, she forgot to update her work orders. "Rom," she looked up. "You covered for me?"

The Ferengi shrugged. "You're helping my Leeta feel empowered with kendo. It's the least I can do. And um, by the way" he hesitated, "Senator Cretak's viewer went out again."

Elpida gasped. "Rom, I—"

"Don't worry. I already told Kira I'd take care of it. And there are a lot of things that need to be done in the maintenance crawlways if you want to be alone today," he added.

"Thank you," she said gratefully.

Elpida spent the entire day in the crawlways. She berated herself for being such a drunken floozy. She should have known better! But more than anything else, she was furious with Setal. How could he do that to her, when all the while he claimed to love and respect her?

At the end of the day, there was a message from Setal waiting for her:

_Did you have a good day? I can hardly wait to see you again, Elpida. Please contact me at your earliest convenience._

"Yeah, right!" she said to his picture on the viewscreen. "Don't think I'm ever going to talk to you again, you sneaky rake…you," she searched for words bad enough to call him, "Romulan Don Juan!"

**(I don't own Marc Anthony's ¿Ahora Quien?)**


	5. Whose Bed Have Your Boots Been Under?

**As always, much obliged to everyone who reads and reviews! Thank you especially to 0afan0-you're the best!  
**

There was only one way Elpida was going to be able to blow off all of the steam building up inside her. In the meantime, however, she met Leeta for kendo practice.

Leeta cocked her head in concern when she saw her. "Are you alright?"

"I'm," she began, forcing herself to calm down, "I'm fine. Just had a bad day, you know?"

Her friend nodded. "I know what that's like," she answered, accepting her explanation, but not necessarily believing it.

The workout helped Elpida relax somewhat. And teaching Leeta two new strikes served to at least partially take her mind off of her problems.

"I can't tell you how much you've helped me, Elpida," Leeta said, after they finished.

"It's really no problem," she answered. "I much prefer our arrangement to practicing alone."

"You know," Leeta smiled slyly, "Julian talked about you all last night."

"Did he?" she asked curiously. Elpida had not told anyone about what had happened the previous night, and she considered telling Leeta. But then she decided to wait and try to sort it through on her own first. At the same time, she wondered if Leeta already knew. Being a dabo girl, she had long ago learned the art of perception.

"Oh, yes," said the Bajoran. "He really likes you. And I can tell you he's a nice guy."

Elpida thought for a moment. Perhaps she should allow Bashir to pursue her. He seemed like a decent man. She couldn't picture him taking advantage of her. In addition, her family would certainly prefer him to a non-human, especially a Romulan.

"Didn't you tell me that you two dated?" she asked Leeta.

"We did, but we're long past that now," her friend assured her. "I'm happily married to Rom, and I couldn't wish for a better husband."

"You're very fortunate," Elpida said truthfully. Though she didn't find Rom attractive herself, she thought he was a good husband for Leeta.

"Yeah," she agreed. "Well, my shift is going to start soon, so I have to get going. If you ever want to talk, I'm always here. Thanks again." She waved goodbye as she left the holosuite.

"Hmmm," Elpida considered. Maybe she should talk to Leeta about it later. In the meantime, she still had about forty-five minutes left. She exchanged her wooden _bokken_ for her _katana_ sword.

"Computer. Run _Yojimbo_ from the beginning of the street fight." Someday, she had every intention of playing the entire program all the way through. But today was not that day, either.

The gang of thugs materialized, headed by their flamboyant, pistol-waving leader. Unosuke examined her up and down in disbelief. "A girl? Do you really think you're a match for me?"

"Girl or not, I can still kick your butt!" Elpida yelled back, holding her fighting stance. "And I happen to hate men at the moment, so today's your lucky day, punk!"

The villain laughed in mockery and reached into his shirt for his pistol. Before he could draw it, however, she cut a large gash into his forearm. Unosuke yelped in pain and fell to his knees. Seeing their leader thus defeated, the mob of scoundrels turned to beat a hasty retreat.

"Come back here, you flock of chickens!" she called after them. "Cowards!" She followed them down the street and into the town brothel. "Oh, that's a brilliant place to hide! You'll blend right in, boys!"

She kicked through the bamboo door and charged in. The women inside screamed while the hacking ensued. Before long, the hooligans were all immobilized on the floor around her. A large, dominating woman entered the room with a scowl on her face.

"Now look what you've done!" The brothel owner swore angrily. "Where will I find customers?" she demanded hotly.

"Bah!" Elpida waved her away and left the shop. There were plenty of her clients left who were still prowling about the town. Now she had to find where the others were holding Nui, a woman Unosuke had kidnapped.

She went back to the inn to ask the innkeeper. He nervously served her tea.

"Where are they holding the farmer's wife?" she asked him. The coffin maker was still hammering away. It was starting to give her a headache. "Will you knock that racket off?"

The innkeeper was about to speak when they heard someone laughing from the doorway. She whirled around to see Setal standing there.

"The door was open," he alleged, "and I've been looking for you all day."

"You!" she drew her sword again and pointed it at his throat. She slowly edged forward. The sound of the teapot and cups shattering resounded again as the innkeeper ran off.

"Elpida!" Setal exclaimed in surprise. "You're angry at me. Why?"

"Why do you think?" She continued to move toward him, and he backed away out into the street.

"Is this about last night?" he tried. "I thought you had a good time. Whatever I did to upset you, I apologize."

"Get out!" she demanded.

* * *

_I simply don't understand_, Setal thought. He was sitting at the bar in Quark's, drinking the native ale of his home world—nothing else would do at a time such as this. He had done everything right, or so he thought. Now Elpida was lost to him, perhaps permanently, and he hadn't the slightest inkling why. The night before, he was at the pinnacle of ecstasy, but now he was in the depths of despair.

"It's a woman, isn't it?" Quark asked, pouring him another glass. "Take it from me, Setal, she isn't worth it. No female is worth it. Especially _hew-mon_ females. They're the most capricious lot of them all, if you ask me."

Setal glared back at him. "But I'm _not_ asking you, Ferengi. So leave me alone."

Quark held his hands up defensively. "Alright, alright. Suit yourself. I'm just your friendly bartender, trying to help." He moved off to tend to his other customers.

What Quark said was at least partially true, he realized. He recalled his time on Earth, when he had seen how unpredictable and insatiable human women were. He actually felt some compassion for human men. Romulan women were of course the same way, but to a much lesser degree. As a result, he had always thought it would be better to stay with his own kind, rather than test the waters as he had been tempted to do so many times.

But now, in spite of all he had learned and observed, here he was, hopelessly in love with a human. So much so, that he in point of fact wanted her for his wife, and would have no other. He vividly remembered the evening they had shared, her beautiful dark eyes, the scent of her hair. He would never meet another woman like her ever.

Setal shook his head. The whole notion had been foolish from the start. He should have followed his original beliefs and left well enough alone. And yet, he could not. He was in too deep. What was he to do?

"Just apologize, even if you don't know what you did," he remembered overhearing one human male tell another at a bar in Havana, "and pray she has mercy on you. That's all you can do, man." Yes, Setal had already tried that approach. Twice, in fact.

And yet, what else could he do? He could not do without Elpida, that much was certain.

* * *

Chopping up brigands in the holosuite didn't cool Elpida's temper the way she thought it would. There was nothing for it. Sometimes, a girl just had to go shopping. It was the first time she had taken the opportunity to do so. With the eclectic variety of stores and merchants who did business on DS9, there were plenty of selections from which to choose.

Before long, she was able to forget the entire matter, at least temporarily. She was admiring a gorgeous purple dress when she saw Setal coming toward her. She rolled her eyes. _Just when I was starting to enjoy myself…_

"Elpida," he said, apparently not caring if anyone else heard, "_please_ let me speak to you. Whatever it is, I'm sorry."

"You still act like you don't know!" she hissed, trying to keep her voice down.

"I _don't_," he insisted.

"You womanizers are all the same," she lamented, "no matter what planet you come from apparently!"

"Ah," he suddenly understood. "You think I took advantage of you?" The tightening of her mouth answered his question. "Epida, I didn't. I swear it."

"Then why did I wake up in your bed?"

Setal blinked for a few seconds, and then laughed. "Because," he explained, "I didn't know where your quarters were; and at the time, neither did you. But I couldn't very well leave you on your own. So I brought you to my quarters, and put you in my bed. _I_ slept on the sofa." The Romulan frowned. "You truly don't remember, do you?"

She narrowed her eyes suspiciously. A passerby, who had apparently overheard the last part, stared curiously as he continued along the Promenade.

"Elpida," he said earnestly, after shooting a warning look at the man, "our evening consisted of some rather sensual dancing," he smirked, "a wonderfully passionate kiss, and," he chuckled sheepishly, "a late night swim in the holosuite—but that is all."

"You mean you didn't seduce me, then?" For some silly and inexplicable reason, she was almost disappointed now that she knew the truth. Almost.

Setal smiled. "I'm not going to lie and say that I wasn't tempted. You were very nearly irresistible. But you were also intoxicated, and," he shrugged, "there are rules about that sort of thing."

"You really are a gentleman, aren't you?" She had to admit, she was impressed.

"Well," he smiled crookedly, "I try to be." Then his smile faded. "I would never do that without your consent. I told you, I respect and," his tone softened, "love you. Please give me another chance."

"Alright," she answered quietly.

"Why are you hesitant? What is it that you don't like about me? Tell me, and I will try to change it."

"It's not you…" she said sadly, "it's my family."

"You became uncomfortable when I asked you about your family before," he observed.

Elpida stared at the floor. "Setal, they're crazy..."

"They can't be any crazier than mine," he chuckled again. "After observing humans, I think Romulan families are far worse."

"You don't understand…" she trailed off.

Setal put his hands on her shoulders. "Is it because I'm not a human?"

"That's only part of it," she said, meeting his eyes. "You're not Greek, either. They've told me my whole life that the most important thing I will ever do will be to marry a Greek man and have Greek babies. That's all they've ever seen me as—a Greek baby factory!" Setal did not interrupt, as he could see that this was something that had been eating at her for a long time.

Elpida turned and looked over the railing of the Promenade. "Every time I talk to my family, they tell me I'm so old and that I need to get married." She turned to face him again. "Setal, they've told me that since I was twelve!"

Setal brushed one of her curls out of her face. "If it is any consolation to you," he said gently, "my family will most likely not approve, either. But I don't care. I want to be with you. Family expectations should be reasonable. If our families truly care about us, they will accept us. If not…" He sighed, getting lost in her eyes. "Again, I don't care. And if you feel the same way about me, neither should you."

She glanced over the railing a second time and watched the people bustling below. That was the sweetest, most romantic thing anyone had ever said to her. She did feel the same way about Setal, and wanted more than anything to be with him. She had never defied her family before, but in this case…

Elpida turned back to face Setal. "You're right," she said firmly.

He smiled hopefully. "Then, you will give me another chance?"

"Of course I will," she said, her heart fluttering wildly.

Setal grinned from ear to ear. "You look hungry," he suddenly noticed. "Let me take you to dinner. "Besides," he glanced at her recent purchase, "I would very much like to see you in that dress."

"Okay," she blinked dreamily.


	6. All's Fair in Love and War

**Thanks 0afan0, njmrtl, thyme2read, JustaCrazy-Man, and Famenon for your reviews! And in response to 0afan0's comment: Setal actually gets his tips from you, honey!**

**Thank you especially to 0afan0 and thyme2read for your ideas, thoughts, and suggestions for this chapter.**

* * *

"This one is a Jamaican-style lager," Setal explained as he poured the liquid into a glass for Elpida to try. "It's especially nice on a warm day when one is lying on the beach," he added, drawing from personal experience.

Elpida sipped it slowly and smiled. "That's quite good, actually. I like it better than the India Pale Ale, to tell you the truth."

"So you like the lighter beers, then," he understood finally. The Romulan chuckled. "Isn't this ironic? _I'm_ the one educating _you_ about Earth drinks."

They had decided to go to Quark's, so that Setal could show her that beer was not as disgusting as she had previously believed. Before their "lesson," however, they had made certain to eat a hearty meal.

Elpida laughed along with him. "Yes, it is," she agreed. "I think it's even funnier after having sampled all of these selections! Doesn't it affect you, too, though?" She peered curiously him.

"It does," he answered, without taking his mysterious dark eyes off of her, "only not as quickly."

"But if we were drinking _your_ ale…" she playfully pointed at him.

Setal nodded. "Yes, I would be at about your level of intoxication. And you," his smile grew wider, "would be in a similar state to last time."

Elpida whimsically rolled her eyes. "You're always a step ahead of me," she said, slightly frustrated.

"I'm not as far ahead as you think, Elpida." He cocked an eyebrow at her in the way that she found to be irresistibly charming. "You are the one who has the upper hand, I assure you."

She shyly cast her eyes downwards, unable to meet the intensity of his gaze. "Really?" she asked.

"Yes," he answered in a tone that was all-seriousness. "Romulans do not fall in love easily," he disclosed, swirling his drink around in the glass, "but when we do, it is for the most part permanent. You humans have a saying, 'love at first sight,' I believe. It is not such an uncommon thing for us. We're a people of deep feelings, you see, despite the tough image we project."

Elpida blinked, touched by Setal's gesture of trust. "I had no idea…" she said softly.

"Most of us wouldn't want you to know that," he admitted with a smitten grin. "Now do you understand why I've been so forward with you?"

"I think so," she said. She looked away again, unsure as to what she should say. A part of her felt guilty that she didn't feel as strongly for him as he did for her. But she was never one to leap into anything serious without thinking long and hard about it first. Setal seemed to understand and respect that, which she decided was all the more reason to give him a serious chance.

"Well…" she said, "so you said you don't fall in love easily…why me?" she asked.

Setal's complexion deepened. "I told you, Elpida. You're different. There's just something about you…I cannot explain it." He chuckled softly. "Never in my life did I imagine I'd fall for a human, even after my time on your world," he added in her ear.

Elpida smiled nervously. "Same here," she said.

Seeing how awkward she felt and no doubt guessing why, Setal changed the subject slightly. "I meant to tell you that's a lovely dress," he said, "I knew you would look stunning in it when I saw you buy it. You have impeccable taste."

After they were finished sampling a sufficient number of the available selections, Setal insisted on escorting her back to her quarters. On the way, his hand found hers as they strolled. He held it firmly, but gently. They talked of their jobs, their plans for the rest of the week, and where they would go to dinner next time. Elpida realized that she had never been so happy in her life as she was at that point in time, walking hand in hand with Setal.

When they got to her room, he let her hand go. "Well," he said with a smirk, no doubt intended to hide his self-consciousness, "if you ever get that intoxicated again, I now know where to bring you."

Elpida laughed for what was probably the hundredth time on the way back from Quark's. "I don't plan to ever get that drunk again," she said, widening her eyes.

"That's probably best," he agreed, "I'm sure you must have had a terrible headache."

"Yes, I did."

Setal then stopped chuckling. "Thank you, Elpida," he said pensively, "for spending this evening with me."

"Of course," she said, melting at the sound of his deep and alluring voice, "I had a wonderful time, Setal."

"Elpida," he said quietly, though his voice was no less full of fervent yearning, "I very much want to kiss you again…"

She swallowed, and then blinked several times. "Alright…" she said. She barely heard the word come out of her mouth since her heart was beating so loudly. Her skin prickled with goosebumps when their lips met, despite the warmth she felt from his being so near. He was considerably more restrained than he had been the last time he kissed her, but there was no less ardor in his endearment. In fact, this time it seemed as though he was putting his entire heart and soul into this one embrace.

"Goodnight," she said breathlessly. Their lips had parted, but his face was still only centimeters away.

Setal appeared to recover his wits before she did. Or perhaps, he was simply more disciplined. "Goodnight, my Grecian goddess," he said blissfully, giving her a quick peck on the cheek. With that, he composed himself, and walked away.

Elpida leaned against the doors after they closed and unhurriedly slid to the floor. She had at first been concerned that all of this was merely a strong chemistry between them. But now, she was beginning to see that there was much more to it than that. Tears began to run down her cheeks. She _did_ love him in return, and she came to see that she wanted to marry him more than anything.

Her family was going to go berserk, and she knew it was a real possibility that they might even disown her. _If it is any consolation to you_, she recalled Setal saying earlier that evening, _my family will most likely not approve, either. But I don't care. I want to be with you…_

She had never met a man like Setal before, and she knew that she would never meet another like him again. He respected and appreciated her, which was more than she could say for her family. True, there were many cultural differences they would have to work out, but he was clearly willing to compromise in order to come to an understanding. He didn't mind making sacrifices in order to make it work.

Elpida at last made her decision. She loved Setal, and the next time he asked her to marry him, she intended to accept. Her family was just going to have to live with it. Better still, she decided that she wasn't even going to introduce them.

* * *

The dart flew out of its thrower's hand and landed directly in the center. Bashir grinned victoriously at his opponent.

Setal smiled back thinly. "There's still one more game," he said sorely, though he tried to hide it. "You haven't won yet, Bashir." They had each won a game so far, and the next round would determine the winner of the match.

"Of course not," the doctor's smile grew wider. "Two out of three, you're quite right. It's not over until the fat lady sings, we like to say."

The Romulan narrowed his eyes at the ridiculousness of the statement. Normally, human expressions didn't bother him. In fact, he usually thought they were amusing, and at times rather humorous. But there was something about Bashir's use of them that got under his skin. The man was purposely trying to annoy him with this confusing, archaic speech. Setal had to admit that when he really thought about it, the behavior of both himself and Bashir stemmed from jealousy of each other.

He had been minding his own business, having a drink at the bar after a long day of going over Senator Cretak's notes. Elpida was working late, as she had to catch up on the repair list, which she regretfully informed him grew by the day. She had told him that she might stop by briefly before retiring for the evening; but that she would be too tired to make an evening of it. So Setal took this opportunity to sample a new shipment of Martian stout Quark had recently obtained.

The foam had only just subsided (the Dabo girl unfortunately didn't know how to pour it properly), when Dr. Bashir came in, having just gotten off of work himself. Setal attempted to ignore him, but he walked right up to the bar and greeted him. The Romulan stared at his drink. He realized that he wasn't going to enjoy it as much now.

After bragging about his "extensive" knowledge of Romulan/Vulcan physiology (which bored Setal nearly to tears), the doctor challenged him to a dart game. He made the excuse that his usual opponent, Chief O'Brien, had to pull a double shift in order to get caught up on repairs. Setal didn't dare refuse, as Bashir boldly called his confidence and abilities into question.

"You're first this time," the human said, handing him the darts in mock ceremony. Setal accepted them without a word.

He wondered why he should be envious of the doctor. Didn't Elpida say she would give _him_ the chance to win her heart? Didn't she have dinner with him most days out of the week? And didn't she go dancing and to the holodeck programs with him on the weekends? He was well on the way to convincing her to marry him, he was quite sure.

The Romulan's next shot fell on the outer part of the ring surrounding the center circle.

"Not bad," his competition said priggishly. He proceeded to throw his prong just to the inside of Setal's. Bashir was taunting him. The human was an expert at this game, he understood suddenly. It was somewhat of a surprise. Though Setal seldom played the game, he usually won due to his superior Romulan abilities.

At any rate, it was time to push back. "You seem to spend a good deal of time playing this game," he noted, his next shot landing at the edge of the center circle.

"Miles and I play several times a week, yes," the other answered proudly.

The Romulan raised a brow. "You must not go on very many dates," he said nonchalantly, pretending to examine the dart he was holding.

As he was in the middle of a throw, Setal's statement took him off guard and made him miss the board all together. The dart bounced off the wall and landed in Morn's drink. The Lurian shot an incensed look in their direction. _A bull's-eye on a soft spot…_

The doctor apologized and then turned back to his competitor. "Just what is that supposed to mean?" he demanded hotly, though he was careful to keep his voice down.

Setal shrugged innocently, forcing himself not to smile. "I was merely making an observation, Doctor."

"Oh really?" he crossed his arms indignantly. "Then permit me to make an observation."

"Be my guest," quipped the aide.

"You're not going to get anywhere with Elpida Anthane," he boldly declared.

The Romulan wasn't convinced. "Is that a fact?"

Bashir shook his head, not bothering to disguise his relish. "Setal, Setal," he said in a patronizing manner, "I'm afraid her father's going to turn you down like a bedspread, old chap."

"I don't care what her father thinks," he answered firmly.

"Oh, but you should…" he advised.

"Why?" he asked, making it clear that nothing Bashir could say could cause him to wander from his intended course.

Bashir left the question unanswered. His last shot landed smack dab in the middle. He rubbed his hands together. "Well, that's the butter on the spinach, then. Good match."

Before Setal could retort, a drop-dead-gorgeous human lady graced the doorway. He looked at the chronometer. It was much later than he thought. How could he have let this pompous pedantic waste so much of his time?

"And whatever are you two up to?" Elpida asked them playfully. At least now Bashir wouldn't continue to act like a complete jack ass anymore. Or so Setal thought.

"We just finished a game of darts," Bashir said, cutting off his rival, "would you like to play a round too?"

"That sounds like fun!" she accepted excitedly. "I haven't played this game in forever."

"That's far too long," Setal replied, reminding his competition that he was still present.

"I'm so glad to see that you two have become friends," she added sweetly.

"We've always been friends," the doctor averred.

Setal rolled his eyes in exasperation, since Elpida was looking away from him. He plastered a pleasant smile on his face when her head turned back. "Yes," he agreed. Then he reminded himself to be careful not to lie to her again.

"I want to play with Setal first," she told the doctor. The Romulan grinned at the other wickedly.

"Ladies first," said Setal, chivalrously giving her the darts.

Considering how skilled she was at kendo, he would have thought she'd be better at the game. He assessed her as being about average for a human. Setal didn't think any less of her, of course; it merely surprised him.

As tempting a prospect it was, however, he couldn't just let her win. His experience told him that humans valued honesty. Setal was afraid that if he deceived her in any way, he might lose her. At the same time, he didn't want to beat her too badly. He ended up winning two games, while she won the last one.

"I suppose that's Romulan dexterity for you," she winked flirtatiously, not seeming to mind that she had lost to him.

Setal felt his face grow hot. He knew he had to be blushing. "You have other abilities that are far superior to mine," he told her truthfully.

"Right," Bashir interrupted, "My turn."

The Romulan watched the human male carefully. The doctor won the first game, but then deliberately held back for the last two. Elpida didn't notice, as she had not before seen him play. Setal was furious, though he guarded his facial expression.

"Julian!" Elpida accused, "You let me win!"

The human shrugged. "No I didn't," he lied, quite obviously from Setal's point of view. "Now why would I do an unsporting thing like that?" he asked with a foxy smile.

Elpida laughed again. It wasn't clear whether or not she believed the explanation. "Well, you two," she said, "it's about time for me to get to bed. I need my beauty sleep, you know. Goodnight." Setal's heart sank. Even though they had already planned to make it an early night, he didn't want her to go.

"You'd only need five minutes at the most," Bashir flattered her.

Setal repressed a sneer in the other man's direction. "Goodnight, Elpida," he uttered respectfully instead. After she left, he whirled around to the doctor. "You _did_ let her win," he argued, "and then you lied to her about it. Why?"

Bashir laughed that annoying laugh of his. "Setal, old boy, there are some things you still have yet to learn about humans." He grinned victoriously, slapping the Romulan on the shoulder as walked past him on the way to the exit.

_Of course you know_, Setal told him silently, emulating an Earth cartoon he saw once, _this means war…_

* * *

**Ok, y'all, I know I'm making Bashir out to be a jerk right now, but don't worry! He's going to show that he's the nice guy we all know and love before the end.**


	7. Guess Who's Coming to Dinner?

**Ok, so in spite of the car fiasco, we've picked up the Tango again! Woo-hoo! There's a bar just down the street where they do it—Argentinean Tango exclusively, that is. I must say, now that I've learned it this way, I don't know why we even bothered with the American version. Naturally, it's gonna go into my story—MUAHAHAHA!**

**Also, for those of you who are interested in Setal's former life as a Romulan secret agent, check out my other story "For Praetor and Empire."**

**Thank you 0afan0, thyme2read, and JustACrazy-Man for your reviews and ideas!**

* * *

"A little bird told me that someone's been taking up your free time lately," Leeta said giddily as they took off their kendo armor.

Elpida had arrived late for their practice once again that evening. She guessed that the "little bird" was none other than Leeta's husband, Rom. It was Leeta's way of saying that she wished they could have more kendo meetings, like they used to. More than that, she wanted the whole scoop. Though Rom was a helpless romantic himself, he was still a man.

Elpida couldn't help but smile shyly. "Well…" she trailed off.

"A tall, dark stranger," the Dabo girl added dreamily, "with pointed ears. And I heard it all from a very reliable source, so don't bother to deny it." Leeta clearly wasn't having problems feeling empowered anymore.

Now Elpida knew she was blushing. "Alright," she admitted, "Then I won't."

Leeta leaned closer. "He really likes you," she giggled. "I heard him say so."

"You did?" It was of course not a new revelation to her, but she was surprised that Setal had said so in public.

"Oh, yes," she said, "He and Julian almost got into it in Quark's last night after you left. That dart game was more than a friendly competition," she said with a simper. "He really looked like he wanted to beat Julian to a pulp, and I was worried he would. Romulans are stronger than most of us, you know. But Julian left before things got too heated."

"Oh, dear," said Elpida. "I guess I didn't realize Julian was that serious. Should I tell him, do you think?" She may as well ask Leeta's advice, she decided. There really was no one else she dared to talk to about the matter. Before Kira and Cretak had their own disagreement, she had considered asking Kira's advice. Now, she suspected she would have gotten a slightly biased point of view.

"Just my opinion," Leeta answered tactfully, "but I think it's only fair to him."

Elpida sighed. "I suppose you're right. Poor Julian. This isn't going to be easy…"

* * *

Setal and Elpida finished their dinner. She had tried not to rush through the meal. Though tapas was fast-becoming her favorite cuisine, she enjoyed dancing with Setal even more. He was such a romantic dancer. And when she danced with him, he made her feel as though she was the most beautiful woman in the universe.

Her heart raced as the band struck up a tango. That was her favorite dance of them all.

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Pasarás de otro brazo  
Y dolerá el fracaso  
Igual que hoy_

"Would you be opposed to trying the Argentinean version tonight?" he asked.

"I don't know it," she confessed regretfully.

"You don't have to," he said in his deep, alluring voice, "You need only relax and trust me."

"Isn't it danced more closely together than the other way?" she asked daringly.

The Romulan smiled. "Only if you wish it," he said with discernible hope, "The lady chooses whether the position is open or closed."

"Alright," Elpida shyly returned his smile, and chose the closed position.

"Don't think about it. Let me lead you," he said gently as he held his warm cheek to hers.

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Corazón como el mío  
Que compartió tu hastío  
No encontrarás_

_Y entre la gente buscarás  
La mano amiga que te di  
Y sólo así comprenderás  
Que por quererte te perdí_

To her surprise, it was incredibly easy. It had taken her weeks to learn the other way. She closed her eyes and surrendered to his lead. He held her in his strong arms, swaying unhurriedly with the music. Time seemed to slow, and everything else around them faded away. All that was left was the music and the man she adored. Nothing else mattered. Elpida was now certain beyond a doubt that she did indeed wish to spend the rest of her life with him.

"I have never had a connection with a partner like this before," he said, wistfully squeezing her hand.

Elpida laughed with delight. "Why didn't we dance this way the last time we did the Tango?"

"Well," he explained, "We had only just met, and you were very set upon doing the American version. A gentleman always gives a lady what she wants." She couldn't see his facial expression, but she could nevertheless tell that he was smirking. "I imagine we'll do all of the dances together eventually."

"Yes," she agreed.

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Pasarás de otro brazo  
Y dolerá el fracaso  
Igual, igual que hoy_

"Setal?"

"Hmm?"

"I love you," she whispered into his ear.

She heard the sharp intake of his breath. He had been waiting a long time to hear her say that. At last, his wish had been granted. "Then," he said, full of yearning, "you will marry me?"

Elpida pulled back and blissfully looked into his eyes, "Yes."

Joy spread across his face, but he was speechless. He held her close again and continued the dance.

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Hoy me sangra el recuerdo  
Como una espina nueva_

_Del corazón  
_

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Cuando sueñes conmigo  
En las noches de frío  
Ya no estaré_

_Y no me llames, si me ves  
A mi también con otro amor  
Porque es inútil esperar  
Si la esperanza ya murió  
_

Julian Bashir meanwhile sat at the bar listening to the sorrowfully romantic melody. It was an accurate depiction of the way he felt as he watched Setal glide across the dance floor with Elpida. The Romulan may not have been as skilled at darts as the doctor, but there was no question that he was a far superior dancer. He must have had good deal of practice, he thought bitterly.

_Hasta siempre, amor  
Pasarás de otro brazo  
Y dolerá el fracaso  
Igual, igual que hoy_

He shot back his drink, and ordered another one. Setal was right about one thing: he didn't go on very many dates. "Why do I always end up this way?" he mumbled dejectedly to himself. Earlier that afternoon, Elpida had told him of her true feelings for the man with whom she was dancing.

Just then that Senator Cretak sat down next to him. "What way, if you don't mind my asking, Doctor."

Bashir turned to her. As he had already had a few drinks, he had no qualms about spilling his woes to anybody. "Oh, hello, Senator. I meant that I seem to have abysmal luck with women." He stared sadly into his empty glass.

Cretak smiled with intrigued amusement. "Romulans don't believe it luck. I'll have whatever your special is," she told Ujye.

"Oh, yes, that's right," Bashir chuckled slowly. "What are you doing here, anyway? I mean, you're hardly the place I'd expect to find in a Senator like this," he slurred.

"I was curious," she said, cocking her head slightly, and deliberately not acknowledging his impaired articulation. "I overheard Setal mention that he enjoyed coming to this place."

"Yes," he confirmed, not bothering to control the acerbity in his voice, "He comes here often." He clumsily waved toward the dancers.

The senator glanced in the direction he indicated. Her eyes grew wide when she saw that her aide was among the dancers. She lifted a scandalized brow when she how closely he was holding his partner. And then she recognized the lady. "Indeed?" she remarked, scarcely able to contain her shock.

The Bolian returned with Cretak's drink. "Don't you humans have a saying," he asked Bashir, "All's fair in love and war?"

Bashir nodded. "We also say: Beware of the tall, dark stranger," he added remorsefully. "I didn't even have a chance in hell."

"Plenty of fish in the sea, Julian," the Bolian reminded the doctor.

It was only then that the human noticed his Romulan companion's surprise at the revelation of her aide's activities. "You didn't know," he realized.

Cretak's face became neutral again. "I suspected," she said evenly.

"But you disapprove of his being with a human?" he asked, rather boldly, though he already knew it was so.

Ever the politician, the senator shrugged. "It's his life," she said, dismissing the matter with a casual air.

* * *

The next morning, Elpida yawned wearily as she made her way down the corridor to her first call. Despite her fatigue, she smiled to herself. She was _still_ burning the candle at both ends, just like when she first started her job on DS9. But now, though she was exhausted, she had never felt so alive in her life. She dreamily hummed the enchanting music from the previous night, which was still playing in her head.

Her heart practically stopped when she suddenly saw her mother. The blow was even more shocking because she actually collided into her as she came around the corner.

"Mamma?" she said, her mouth hanging wide open, "What are you doing here?"

"Oh, we came to visit you, my little dear," Penelope Anthane replied cheerfully. "You said such wonderful things about this station; we had to come see it on our vacation." She had the same expression as all those times when she gave Elpida nasty-tasting medicine as a child.

The words hit Elpida like a ton of bricks. Cloud nine had vanished out from underneath her, and she was plummeting down into a horrible abyss. She had never intended to introduce Setal to her family at all, much less at this time. She was terrified; her happiness had come to an end. Once he found out how crazy her family was, he would drop her like a hot potato. After all, nobody deserved in-laws like he would have if they got married.

"Uh," she stammered nervously, "How long will you be here?"

"Only about ten days," her mother said sadly, assuming Elpida shared her disappointment, "and then your brother and sisters have to get back to school. Don't worry. We know you have your job responsibilities. You won't even know we're here, honey."


	8. My Family And Other Animals

**The title for this chapter is taken from a book by Gerald Durrell about his crazy family when they were living in Greece, but I don't own it. **

**Thanks to 0afan0, thyme2read, njmrtl, and JustaCrazy-Man for your reviews!**

* * *

Doctor Julian Bashir was deep in concentration, analyzing a blood sample from one of his patients. Though he was disappointed by the way recent events had turned, he had quite recovered from his broken heart—and his hangover. His quickly returning to normal led him to understand that he wasn't really in love with Elpida after all. _It would have been nice_, he thought, but the fact that things didn't work out the way he had originally hoped wasn't going to ruin his life.

Julian looked up suddenly to see a boy standing before him. His dark curly hair and facial features immediately told him that the child must have been Elpida's brother. He had been so caught up in his work that he hadn't noticed him come in.

"You must be one of the Anthane kids," he said with an interested smile.

"Yes," the boy answered, "I'm Paris."

Julian chucked. Of course he would have a distinctly Greek name. "And how old are you, Paris?"

"Twelve," he said. "You're the doctor, eh?"

"That's right." He still held Elpida in high regard, and he was in a generous sort of a mood. "Would you like a tour of the infirmary?"

"Give me a vile of Andorian blood," the kid demanded out of the blue.

"What?" Bashir exclaimed in surprise, not sure that he had heard correctly.

"Andorian blood," the boy demanded rudely, indicating the sample on the desk. "Can I have some?"

The audacity! What a brat! He was nothing at all like his older sister. "No, you jolly well cannot," Julian answered indignantly.

* * *

Setal walked into Senator Cretak's office. She lifted a warning eyebrow at him when they made eye contact. He had expected this, as he had seen her leave the restaurant the night before. _There is no law against marrying a non-Romulan_, he reminded himself, in case he needed to say it aloud soon.

"Jolan true, Setal," she greeted him coolly.

Setal's back stiffened. "Jolan true, Senator," he responded cautiously. It felt like he was hours late, though in reality he was a few minutes early.

Cretak opened her mouth to speak._ Here it comes…_ But instead of reprimanding him as he had expected, she asked him to proofread her latest report.

"Immediately, Senator," he said quickly. With that, he sat down at his desk and got to work.

"I would also appreciate any suggestions," she added evenly.

He was taken aback. "Of course, Senator," he answered. It didn't mean he was out of the woods yet—he hadn't told her they were getting married. But he took solace in the fact that at least now things were out in the open.

Around midmorning, he received a message. It was from Elpida. She never contacted him during the day. That worried him.

_We need to talk—My family has just arrived on the station_, the words on the screen read. Setal quickly responded and breathed a sigh of relief. He had worried that it was an emergency. Naturally, he knew that Elpida considered this new development to be an emergency. She was so afraid that her family would chase him away. He had already pointed out to her that there were reasons he didn't reside on Romulus, just as she didn't reside on Earth. But all to no avail.

Setal smiled to himself. She didn't know that he was used to dealing with disagreeable people. He had a good deal of experience in that department, in fact. The memories of lying half dead in a Havana alley briefly manifested themselves. The Romulan firmly pushed them away. He would show Elpida once and for all that nothing could deter him from marrying her and making her a happy woman.

For a moment, he considered sending her flowers again to cheer her up, but then decided against it. She would worry about what her family thought. He sighed inwardly, and came to the conclusion that it would be best to just wait and talk to her later.

* * *

Jake Sisko curled up in his favorite corner of Quark's with his writing pad and an ice-cold mug of root beer. It was good to be back in his old spot. He knew his dad still had a lot of healing to do after Jadzia's death, but now things could at least start to go back to normal.

"Hi," said a lovely teenage girl.

"Hey," Jake responded with a start. He wondered what she was doing there—she had to be underage.

"I'm Adonia Anthane," she said, "Are you a reporter?"

"Jake Sisko," he introduced himself, "and yeah, I am."

"So what's a cute guy like you doing in this strange place?" she asked flirtatiously. She was kinda cute herself.

Jake chuckled, but then quickly put up his guard. _Jail bait!_ his head warned him. "I'm just writing a story."

"About me?" she said dreamily.

"Well," he attempted diplomatically, "I'm only writing the news right now." He barely bit back the part about working on a novel in time.

"But I _am_ news," the girl insisted.

"Uh…yeah," Jake stammered. "I'll see what I can do. Listen, I gotta go. I'm supposed to meet someone."

* * *

"Hello, I'm Philomena, and I'm ten years old!" a small voice announced.

Odo turned around to see a little girl. He mentally reviewed the passenger manifests from that morning: Philomena Anthane, age ten, the sister of Elpida Anthane.

"And this is my dolly, Sally," she added proudly, "She's two."

"Hello," he greeted her. Odo had never been comfortable around children, but he tried to keep the harshness out of his voice. "Are you lost?"

The girl smiled again, and shook her head. "I'm exploring this place."

He had to admit, she was a pretty little thing. And he could see that she was refreshingly innocent, not like the urchins and juvenile delinquents he usually had to deal with.

"Miss Philomena," he told her kindly, "You're much too young to be wandering around by yourself. Deep Space Nine can be a dangerous place."

"But not with a nice police officer like you in charge," she said sweetly.

Odo smiled at the compliment. "Where are your parents?"

"Um, I don't know," she confessed.

"Well, let's go try to find them." He took her tiny hand and led her out to the Promenade.

* * *

That evening, Setal paced in his quarters eagerly. Elpida had insisted that they meet there and no where else. It didn't matter to him, as long as they resolved the issue. He was not concerned with the problem itself, but rather that his lady love was so distressed.

When she appeared at the door, she was pale with worry. Setal immediately took her into his arms, pulling her close to kiss her. But she sadly turned away.

"So your family came unexpectedly. Why does it matter?" he asked.

"I hadn't planned to introduce you…" she admitted.

Setal felt his heart sink. "You're ashamed of me?" he asked carefully.

Elpida looked up. "Not of _you_," she shook her head quickly, "I'm ashamed of _them_."

The Romulan relaxed, and smiled. He couldn't blame her. For her safety, he hadn't planned to introduce her to his family. "Elpida," he tried to reason, "they can't be_ that_ bad."

"Oh, yes they can," she insisted. "Trust me on this one."

Setal held her face in his hands. "Look at me," he said gently. She met his eyes, and he could see that tears were forming in them. "I already told you, my heart is yours. I will never leave you, no matter how bad you think your family is, no matter if they don't approve. I swear it."

He pulled her into a kiss, determined that he wasn't going to be refused again. She didn't resist, but instead put her arms around his neck.

"I love you," she whispered. Her tone told him she was still afraid of losing him.

"And I love you," he reiterated, "Trust me?" he pleaded.

Elpida took a deep breath. "Alright," she said determinedly.

Satisfied that she was finally convinced, Setal continued. "We will have to tell them sooner or later, you know. We cannot control the fact that they are here now. Why not be done with it? I will go with you," he offered.

"Later would be better—when they're far away!"

"Love of my life," he said intently, "I am not afraid. You shouldn't be, either. Nothing they say will change the way I feel about you."

The tears she had up till then held back now began to spill down her cheeks. "I haven't told you everything..."

Setal had guessed as much, but had waited for her to reveal whatever it was in her own time. "Tell me now," he coaxed, "You can tell me anything. You know that."

"It's not only that you aren't human...my father," she said slowly, her face turning pink, "...hates your people specifically, Setal."

"My family hates humans," he shrugged, "What of it?"

"It isn't only a matter of bigotry," she explained, "My grandfather—his father—was...killed at the Tomed Incident."

Now things made perfect sense. Setal felt his own face getting hot with guilt. He quickly repressed it for the nonsense that it was, however. "That is...understandable," he said calmly. "I have no control over the actions of the Empire. I was a spy, yes," he allowed, "but not an assassin. I never killed except in self-defense. Perhaps, probably, there are those who died as a result of the information I provided to my government. I can honestly tell you I don't know which ones."

Setal took her hands into his. "I cannot change my past, Elpida. But I _am_ changing my future. Neither of us had anything to do with that event. So as long as any of this isn't of consequence to you, I don't care. You don't hold it against me, do you?"

Elpida looked down, and Setal felt the all too familiar sensation of being stabbed. "I did at first," she said truthfully, "but I don't now. You never hid your past from me, so how can I blame you for it?" She gazed into his eyes again. "And you're right. That tragedy happened before either of us was even born. _ You _are the man I want to spend my life with."

"But you still don't want to tell them?" he surmised. Elpida shook her head. "If that is your wish, I will of course abide by it," he accepted.

For the first time, she actually kissed him. Setal ardently returned her affections, happy that everything was at last resolved between them. There was more about his family he had yet to apprise her of, but fortunately, it did not involve their opinions about humans or their conflicts with them. It could wait until Elpida's family was gone. There was no need to upset her further at present.

Instead, he needed to focus on lifting her spirits. He remembered that humans had the custom of giving an engagement ring. In fact, he had witnessed a proposal at El Club in Havana. He made a mental note to procure the item as soon as Elpida left.

* * *

Elpida rushed along the Promenade to meet her family at the Station Grill.

"Where have you been, honey?" Penelope asked, somewhat put out. "I thought you got off three hours ago."

"Oh, I forgot to tell you," Elpida said, thinking quickly. "I'm taking a beer appreciation class."

"But sweetie," her mother chided gently, "beer is not Greek..."


	9. Mr Tango Class, I Presume?

**Thanks a bunch to 0afan0, njmrt, thyme2read, and "Colonel Lovok" for those nice reviews! **

The end of the day had finally arrived. Across the station, the lights were gradually dimming to the "night" period. Kira Nerys marched down the corridor to her quarters. She was done! Captain Sisko had gotten back just in time, because earlier Kira had actually decided she was going to tell everyone who was giving her a hard time—Senator Cretak in particular—exactly what she thought of them.

Sisko came back right before she was about to do what she knew she would have regretted afterwards. The captain had unwittingly saved her face, and probably her career. Now it was his turn to deal with this mess, because Kira was at the end of her rope.

She punched in her code and entered her living room. The sofa welcomed her as she collapsed onto it. But then she heard the oddest sound. A soft humming was coming from her bedroom...

Kira sprang up to investigate. To her furious astonishment, there was a teenage human girl trying on her clothes and admiring herself in the mirror.

"What the _hell _are you doing in here?" Kira demanded, "Who are you?"

The startled girl dropped the shawl she was holding. "Uh...I didn't think you'd mind, since you're such good friends with Jake."

"_Jake_?" Kira seethed.

"Yes," she averred, "he's writing a story about me. We're in love, you know."

"Is that a fact?" she laughed mockingly. "Well, I _also_ happen to be friends with the chief of security. Let's go pay him a visit, shall we?"

* * *

The next morning, Sisko sat in his office and contently sipped his raktajino. He had hardly taken three sips when Worf walked up to his door. He motioned him to enter.

"Sir," the Klingon said with agitation in his voice, "There is a civilian woman who wishes to speak with you. She _says_," his emphasis on that word was dripping with sarcasm, "it's important."

"I guess you should show her in," he said calmly.

The woman was practically on Worf's heels. "Captain Sisko! What a pleasure to meet you! I'm Penelope Anthane."

Sisko nodded his head politely, "What can I do for you, Mrs. Anthane?"

"I'm here to propose marriage," she said.

Sisko nearly spilled his coffee, but caught himself in time. "I'm already seeing someone..." he grinned sheepishly.

Penelope blinked, and then laughed. "Oh, no! Not us. Our children."

"Excuse me?" His plastered grin faded.

"Yes," she said excitedly, "Your Jake and my Adonia. They're really taken with each other, as I'm sure you've noticed."

"I'm sure..." He was not entirely certain they were really having this conversation. Maybe it was some kind of vision from the Prophets...

"We should arrange their marriage now," she continued, "It would be cruel to make them wait any longer. And Adonia is already sixteen. But your Jake is such a kind and generous boy. I'm sure he doesn't mind a spinster."

By this point, Sisko knew his eyes were bugging out in horror. He didn't think people actually did that anymore. "Wait, wait wait," he cut her off, "I think I'm going to let my son choose a wife for himself when the time comes. If Jake really has feelings for...Adonia," and he doubted that was the case, "then I'll let him take that responsibility for himself."

* * *

Julian was walking past the jewelry shop when he saw Setal at one of the counters. He stopped in his tracks. A closer inspection confirmed that he was in fact picking out a ring.

"So things really are that serious, eh?" he said as he approached.

Setal turned to look at him, but then went back to paying the merchant. "Yes," he answered.

Julian sighed. "Look, Setal," he began in a friendly tone, "perhaps we got off to a bad start...I'm willing to put that behind me. As long as Elpida is happy, I'm happy."

The Romulan stared at him for a few seconds, trying to ascertain the veracity of his words. At last satisfied, he said, "Very well." He offered a handshake, and the doctor took it.

"You were right, Bashir," confessed Setal, "Her father isn't going to approve."

"Well, old chap, you were right, too," he held his hands behind his back. "You shouldn't care about what he thinks."

Setal smiled thinly. "I appreciate your saying so."

After their conversation, Julian discerned that he was still just a little sweet on Elpida. But he had truly meant what he said about wanting her to be happy. So he decided to take it upon himself to speak to her father on her behalf. Surely, the man would listen to a doctor.

The opportunity presented itself when Lysander Anthane appeared in sickbay with his youngest daughter, Philomena. He was taking a self-guided tour of the station. Julian seized the opportunity and offered him a drink. After drawing him into a conversation, during which he revealed that he and Elpida were friends, he posed a question.

"So," Julian said as casually as he could manage, "Must the man who marries your daughter absolutely be Greek?"

Lysander took another sip and thought for a moment, no doubt wondering if Julian was recommending himself as a possible suitor. It was exactly the direction Julian wanted him to go, that way the old man's suspicions wouldn't be aroused. "Well, I suppose she is getting very old," he considered, "Perhaps my expectations have been too high. This is the 24th century after all."

"What if a man who wasn't human wanted to marry your daughter," he threw out gingerly, "…say, just for argument's sake, a Romulan?"

Elpida's father sprayed his drink across the desk. "A _Romulan_? Are you crazy? No!" he chopped through the air with his hand, as though he were leveling down the undesirables.

"But they aren't our enemies anymore," the doctor tried to reason.

"'Beware of Romulans bearing gifts,'" the elder countered, "That's what my father always said. And he was proven right when they killed him at Tomed!"

Julian blinked. The man wasn't changing the words, he realized. He actually thought it was the real quote. How could Lysander, a man who claimed to value his Greek culture, get that wrong? And besides, the Tomed Incident was sixty-three years ago.

"Why do you ask?" Lysander demanded hotly. "Are you telling me some rakish Romulan is going after my daughter?"

"That's _not_ what I said," the doctor insisted.

"Where is my daughter, anyway?" he suddenly realized why he had been touring the station. "Have you seen her?"

"She's right there," he said, pointing to Philomena, deliberately misunderstanding his meaning. The child smiled sweetly at her father.

"No," Lysander said, "Elpida."

"Um," Bashir thought quickly, "I believe she's at her tango class." It was a lame excuse, but the first one he could think of. Mercifully, the man bought it.

"Why would she want to take a tango class?" Lysander asked himself aloud. "She already knows Greek dances..."

He left the infirmary, still pondering the folly of such a choice.

Soon after, Sisko walked in. "I see you've met the family," he observed with a grin.

Julian threw his hands in the air. "In my professional medical opinion, they're all insane!"

"Really?" asked Sisko with feigned ignorance. "Can you be more specific?"

"I performed a discrete scan on them. They're all normal," Julian was forced to admit. "My only guess is they don't get out much."

The captain chuckled softly. "Given my own observations, I would have to agree."

* * *

Elpida groaned when she saw her teenage sister sauntering toward her. She looked at Setal, who got the hint and turned to leave.

"Hello, 'Mr. Tango class,'" her sister shamelessly called to him. There was nothing for it now. He stopped and turned back around. "I'm Adonia." Her tone was somewhat suggestive, and Elpida desperately hoped Setal didn't pick up on that.

He nodded in acknowledgement, "A pleasure, Miss Adonia."

The girl rudely dismissed his greeting and immediately turned to her older sister. "Mom and dad know," she informed her haughtily.

Elpida felt a lump form in her throat. But before she could say anything, her brother appeared the corner. He knew about Setal already, too.

Paris smirked. "Hello, Mr. Beer appreciation class," he said mockingly. "So tell me where I can get some snazzy, cheap-ass drinks."

The corners of Setal's mouth turned up ever so slightly. Elpida knew him well enough to guess that he was greatly amused by her family so far. But he was not allowed to respond, either.

Elpida watched in horror as her mother strolled up. Penelope's jaw dropped in awe when she saw Setal. "Oh my gosh! He's gorgeous! I had no idea an alien could be so handsome!" she exclaimed, holding her hand to her heart and admiring him as though he were a statue.

"A pleasure, Mrs. Anthane," Setal politely introduced himself, ignoring her remark.

Words could not describe the humiliation Elpida felt. In short, she wanted to disappear through the floor. _Just shoot me now… _she thought grimly.


	10. The Galaxy's Our Oyster

**A big thanks to all of you who have been following this story, especially 0afan0, thyme2read, njmrtl, JustaCrazy-Man, TheAfricanAmericanQueen, and deeply-spaced! I really appreciate your reviews, y'all!**

* * *

In an effort to smooth things over, Setal offered to treat Elpida's family to some drinks at Quark's. They arranged for Lysander to meet them there.

"So we _are_ going to get some snazzy, cheap-ass drinks." Paris was giddy with anticipation.

Elpida was on the verge of panic. It was all going to blow up in their faces—she just knew it. But before she could protest, Setal gave her his disarming, "trust me, my darling" look. He held his hand out to her.

If anyone could get them through this, it was he. She did trust him, so she figured she should at least give him the opportunity to try. It wasn't like she had a better idea of how to remedy the situation. Taking his hand, she followed him.

"So, what is it that you do—'Sotol,' is it?" It was plain to Elpida that her mother really didn't care about getting his name right.

"_Setal_, ma'am," he corrected politely.

"Oh, whatever...what do you do?" Despite her earlier declaration, she still didn't approve. Penelope was merely biding her time until her husband showed up. Then they would play the "good guy/bad guy" game, taking turns letting Elpida have it. That was the way they always operated.

Setal remained undeterred. "I'm a diplomatic aide to Senator Cretak."

"Oh...that sounds important."

"It _is_ important," the Romulan assured her confidently.

They walked into Quark's and sat down at a table. From across the room, Julian Bashir gave them a thumbs up. Elpida smiled back nervously. The owner came to take their orders.

"Well, if it isn't Mr. Snazzy Cheap-Ass himself!" Paris declared.

Quark turned his mother and bared his sharp, pointy teeth. "Your kid shows promise."

Penelope shuddered. "Give me ouzo," she said, waving him away.

"Sorry, we're fresh out of ouzo" That was a strike one.

"Well, bring me some wine," she said impatiently, "I don't care what is it as long as it's from Earth."

"May I make a suggestion, Mrs. Anthane?" Setal offered.

"Yes?" she narrowed her eyes.

"Romulan ale is comparable to ouzo," he said.

For a moment, it looked as though she was going to actually consider trying it, but then Lysander appeared.

The man pointed at Setal accusingly. "So you're the alien freak trying to corrupt my daughter, are you? I demand that you give up this sick, abominable idea immediately!" he said in a booming voice for all to hear.

But Setal wasn't going to take it lying down. "As long as Elpida wants me, I will not abandon her," he returned unflinchingly.

Seeing that he wasn't going to get what he wanted from the suitor, he turned instead to his daughter. "End it! Now! And promise me you'll never see him again."

By now, everyone else in the bar was watching them with great interest.

Elpida held Setal's hand tightly. "I won't," she said calmly. "I love him, father."

Lysander couldn't believe what he was hearing. "Child, have you lost your senses completely? He's a Romulan, you're a human!"

"I don't care!"

"You're really going to marry one of your grandfather's murderers?" He was on the edge of flying into a rage.

"He's not a murderer!"

"Will you talk some sense into this girl?" he screamed to his wife. "She's rationalizing this whole thing! Willful blindness! She can't even see that we care more about her than she cares about herself!"

Enough was enough. Setal quickly pulled Elpida behind him. "I will not allow you to continue to yell at the lady I love, sir."

"_You're_ not going to allow?" he shouted in disgust. "You don't love her—you aren't even capable of love! She's _my_ daughter, Romulan. I'll yell at her when she needs it!"

"We're just passionate because we care about you, honey," Penelope averred with false meekness.

"If you truly cared about her, you wouldn't humiliate her in this disgraceful fashion," Setal snapped back. To Elpida, he said in a more gentle tone, "You were right; there's no reasoning with them. Let me take you away from here."

Elpida nodded and Setal led her to the door.

"Well, I won't see you in hell, you ungrateful hussy!" Lysander moved to follow, but he was stopped by Julian.

"Shut up, man," Elpida heard the doctor tell him. "You're making humanity look bad."

"I'll say," Leeta piped up, "I thought humans were supposed to be past racism."

Elpida didn't hear anymore. They were outside on the Promenade. Tears were blurring her vision, so she simply held onto Setal's hand and let him guide her. She was so upset she didn't even wonder where they were going.

Setal brought her to his quarters and sat her on the couch. He left for a few seconds and came back with a glass of water. "I'm sorry," he said, "At least we tried." He dried her tears with a handkerchief. "I want to show you something."

He lifted his shirt to reveal a large scar on his ribs.

Elpida gasped. "How did you get that?"

"I was going to tell you this sooner, but then your family came, and I didn't want to add to your uneasiness. It is from when my younger sister stabbed me."

"What?"

"My family is in the middle of a blood feud," he explained, "Or at least they were, until the war interrupted it."

She blinked. "You didn't have the scar removed?"

"No. I kept it to remind myself of why I never wanted to live on Romulus again. You see, as soon as the war is over, the feud will resume once more."

Elpida sat in his lap and put her arms around his neck. "Oh, Setal. I'm so sorry."

"Now do you understand why I don't think your family is so bad? They are ill-behaved, I'll grant you that. And yes, they_ are _worse than I had anticipated. But at least they aren't cutthroats." He smiled hopefully, "Perhaps they'll come around at a later time."

"I don't care. I never want to see them again."

"I have no objections to that. Oh," he said suddenly, "I almost forgot." He reached into his pocket and pulled out an exquisite diamond ring.

Elpida was in awe. "Setal..." she breathed.

He got onto one knee. "I am officially asking you to marry me, my beautiful Elpida."

"Yes! Yes!" As soon as he slid the ring onto her finger, she dropped to the floor and hugged him.

"I feel like I'm dreaming." He lifted her chin up and kissed her.

The door chimed. It was Julian.

"Hope I'm not interrupting anything," he grinned, holding his hands behind his back.

"Of course not," Setal said with a sarcastic smile.

The doctor cleared his throat. "Given all that's happened, the gang and I wanted to take the two of you to Vic's to cheer you up."

"Vic's?" asked Setal. "Where is that? I've never heard of it."

Julian's grin grew wider. "That's because it's an exclusive club known only to a few of us DS9-ers."

* * *

"We're getting married!" Elpida announced to the group gathered in the holosuite nightclub.

Everyone admired Elpida's ring, and offered Setal their congratulations.

"Oh, Elpida, you sly thing," Leeta said excitedly.

After a few minutes, Julian stood up. "I'd like to make a toast," he said, holding up his glass. "Setal, Elpida's a lovely person. She deserves a good husband. Marry her before she finds one." Everyone laughed, and even Setal had to appreciate the doctor's humor. "Elipida," Julian continued, "love reminds you that nothing else matters."

"Here, here!" The others cheered.

The applause died down, and Elpida gave him a hug. "Thank you, Julian," she whispered gratefully in his ear, "For everything."

Her friend responded with an adoring wink, "Now we're even, old thing."

Vic Fontaine, who never liked to be ignored, made his way through the group. "So when are you two lovebirds getting hitched?"

"Hitched?" asked Setal. "I thought we already had been..." he said, referring to the earlier ordeal.

"You need to get out more, pally." The hologram scratched his head. "You know, married."

"Ah," he understood, "That's an interesting analogy." Setal looked to Elpida. "You know I'm only waiting until you're ready."

"Tomorrow," she dared.

Setal lifted an eyebrow in surprise, but then smiled with pleasure. "As you wish, my lady."

"Well, that's settled," said Vic, rubbing his hands together, "Let's have a song." He turned to Setal, "Now, I know I don't have to tell you to take her over to the dance floor, pally."

"No, you don't."

Vic hopped up onto the stage, where he was joined by three backup singers. They began to hum a doo-wop tune. "This one's an oldie, but a goody," said Vic.

_Earth Angel  
Earth Angel  
Will you be mine?  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you_

_I fell for you  
And I knew  
The vision of your love, loveliness  
I hope and I pray  
That someday  
I'll be the vision of your hap, happiness_

_Oh, Earth Angel  
Earth Angel  
Please be mine  
My darling dear  
Love you all the time  
I'm just a fool  
A fool in love with you_

* * *

"I told you I would marry you, my Earth angel," Setal said, holding his newly-wedded bride against the wall just outside his quarters.

Elpida sighed with happiness. "So where do you want to live?"

Setal paused for a moment. Where they would settle down had not yet crossed his mind, mainly because he had been more concerned about convincing her to marry him in the first place.

"Let us strike a deal," he proposed, effortlessly scooping her up into his strong arms. Her white satin gown rustled as he carried her across the threshold. "I will give up Romulus, if you'll give up Earth. The galaxy will be our oyster, as you say."

"Alright," she agreed, "It's a deal." The doors closed behind them, and he lowered her back to her feet.

"Crazy family not withstanding, you're still the most dazzling woman I have ever met," he said, affectionately stroking her cheek, "And I will always love only you."

Elpida gazed dreamily into his dark eyes. "And you're the most gallant and handsome man I've ever met," she giggled.

"Now," Setal flashed his irresistibly charming smile, "I will seduce you..."

**Fin**


End file.
